New York City mayor in 'Groundhog Day death coverup'

The mayor of New York is embroiled in controversy after a groundhog he dropped in February died from "sudden internal injuries" a week after its fall.

The New York Post reports that Mayor Bill de Blasio, a Democrat, was linked to a cover-up of the death of "Chuck", the animal dropped by the mayor on Groundhog Day on February 2 this year.

The Staten Island Zoo "went to great lengths" to keep the news of the animal's death from the public and the mayor as well as the secret that female groundhog "Chuck" was actually "Charlotte", the Post reports.

The Rupert Murdoch-owned newspaper dispatched three journalists to cover the story, reporting "Mayor Bill de Blasio has blood on his hands" after they got the scoop that Chuck was found dead in his cage on February 9.

A spokesperson for the Zoo denied the groundhog's death had anything to do with its tumble from the arms of the 1.96m-tall mayor one week earlier.

"It appears unlikely that the animal's death is related to the events on Groundhog Day," the spokesman said.

However, the Post reported that staff at the zoo — which received $4m in funding from the City of New York — were told to keep the mayor's office in the dark about Chuck's death.